Trick or Treat
by ariathal2410
Summary: When Cross had told Allen to repay an old favour, this really wasn't what the teen had in mind. AU


**Disclaimer:** Don't own

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When Allen had accepted covering a debt for Cross' old "frenemy", Adam Campbell, he hadn't expected _this_. It was Halloween night, and the streets where covered in decorations and _children_. Including the two that he was currently caring for. That's right. He was _babysitting_. Normally any debt Cross owed included money, not children. Apparently, every Halloween their parents would take the twins Trick or Treating, but Adam had been called to an emergency meeting and Katerina was quite ill. So Allen had been given the task of taking the two boys out for the night. Mana was easy to handle, he was bright and bubbly and absolutely _adored_ attention. Neah, on the other hand, was a little more quiet and mysterious. He also kept giving Allen these sidelong glances that the teen _knew_ meant trouble. And whatever trouble Neah brought, he was sure to bring Mana into it too. At least, that was what Allen had been told anyway.

They were doing quite well for themselves so far, each having their pumpkin buckets half full (Neah had straight up told Allen that they weren't going home till they were full), when they reached what Allen deemed a totally unnecessary attraction. The house itself wasn't overly large, but it made up for it with the effort that had been put into making it look good. And when Allen says good, he means absolutely terrifying. It was the epitome of Halloween, the most excessive Haunted House that the teen had ever seen. He frowned, he did _not_ want to go in there. Mana tugged his arm impatiently, while Neah frowned.

"G-give me a minute…" He murmured, giving the house an uneasy look. It wasn't that he was afraid of this stuff, he had grown up with _Cross_ for god's sake, but Haunted Houses such as these were easy to get lost in. Not to mention there were a bunch of kids crying in their mother's arms scattered around. It was also the most dangerous night of the year. Everyone knew that "monsters" lurked around every corner on Halloween, lured out by the chance to be normal and have fun for an evening. Vampires, werewolves, witches… There were all sorts, and Allen didn't fancy meeting any of the nastier ones, especially with two children under his wing for the night. Allen sighed heavily. He hated Haunted Houses. After a long moment of hesitance, Neah smirked at him. He actually _smirked_. In what universe does a nine-year-old _smirk_?!

"We're going in, with or without you." He said airily. Allen's eye twitched.

"Hold my hand." He ordered. Mana complied immediately, eagerly grabbing the proffered appendage. Neah, however, stared at his hand like it was alien or something.

"You want to go in, you hold my hand, and do not let go unless we are at the candy bowl or outside." Allen said sternly. After a staring contest and a few whined comments from Mana, Neah finally caved, grabbing his hand and practically dragging the teen forwards. His enthusiasm did not last. The Haunted House turned out to be extremely high quality. As in there were dummies and actors (the owners of the house at the very least) jumping out of anywhere and _everywhere_. There were mass amounts of props, a great (read: terrifying) soundtrack and very selective lighting. All in all, it created one hell of an atmosphere. One that neither child particularly appreciated. Neah was doing a very good job of hiding his discomfort, though, only holding Allen's hand a _little_ too tightly and standing a _smidge_ too close, while Mana was clutching at his leg and staring at everything with wide eyes.

They were soon at the candy bowl (bowls really, Allen could see a few scattered around), and after the children had taken a handful each they quickly retreated. Allen huffed a relieved sigh once they were outside, both children still firmly in his grasp with no threats in sight. Mana was practically climbing up his side, trying to get into his arms, and Neah was lightly pressed against his leg. He quickly gave into the more affectionate child's silent demands and picked him up, allowing him to snuggle into Allen's side comfortably. Neah gave them a dry look, but didn't comment (or make any move to join his twin in Allen's arms). They continued on, Allen studiously avoiding any garish looking houses, and before long the buckets were full. After another hour or so of wandering around a less and less populated area, the teen stopped.

"Where are we?" He said after a moment of intense contemplation. There weren't any houses he could see, and there were far more trees than he was comfortable with. His eye twitched. Oh, _great_! Of all nights to get lost, Allen had to choose the one night of the year were all the crazy people were out and he was babysitting two young children! Bloody _brilliant_ , if he did say so himself! Not to mention it was getting late, poor Katerina was probably worried sick… He felt a tug on his pant leg and looked down to see Mana staring up at him with puppy-dog eyes.

"I'm hungry…" He complained quietly, pouting adorably. It was dark out, and while the children had probably had dinner already, they had been walking for at _least_ a few hours. Allen quickly checked his watch, grimacing when he saw it was almost midnight. He really needed to get them home… Allen kneeled down next to the boy, rubbing his back soothingly.

"I'll try to get you home as soon as possible, I'm sure your mum won't mind you having a little snack before you get to bed." He promised. Mana pouted, but nodded, snuggling in a bit closer. Allen blinked when Neah shifted in closer as well, turning slightly to face the other twin. Neah smirked dangerously, his eyes glowing a golden yellow.

"We _could_ just eat you~" He sung, leaning in and sinking sharp fangs into Allen's neck. Mana followed his brother's lead, taking a much softer bite. The teen froze for a moment, mind gears whirling as he tried to comprehend what was happening. _Ah_. So they were vampires. Ok. This would be so much easier if Allen _breathed_. He took a deep, steadying breath, letting them get a good couple of mouthfuls in before he gently pried them away from his neck. He kept his hands steady on their shoulders as he gave them a stern look.

"It's very rude to eat people without their permission you know." He said seriously, trying so very hard not to scream profanities at Cross for not warning him. Mana had the decency to blush and look chastised, but Neah just stared at him dumbfounded.

"That's it?" He questioned bluntly. Allen blinked.

"No running, no screaming, no flailing? Just "you're being rude"? That's _it_?!" He was _this_ close to screeching, and he looked utterly _floored_.

" _Oh_!" Allen realized suddenly, finally piecing together Neah's behaviour.

" _That's_ what you've been after all night! You were trying to _scare_ me! That's not very nice you know…" He finished with a furrowed brow. Neah's jaw _dropped_. He quickly snapped it shut and scowled (it was more of an angry pout really), pointing in the opposite direction that they had been walking.

"Home's _that_ way." He said grumpily, crossing his arms over his chest straight after. Allen made a disgruntled noise. Had Neah known they were going the wrong direction the entire time? Probably… Hell, Allen wouldn't be surprised if the child had somehow been leading him in the wrong direction on purpose.

It took another hour or so to get back to the large house (it was a mansion, Allen wasn't even going to bother denying it anymore) with a lot of stopping and redirecting. When they finally made it inside, Katerina was settled tiredly on the couch, reading a small book. The woman immediately had a lapful of Mana, gushing about how much candy they had gotten. She chuckled quietly, standing up to greet Allen and her other, less enthusiastic child (Neah was still wearing that angry pout).

"I'm sorry I got them home so late, I got lost…" He apologised sheepishly. She merely smiled at him warmly, shaking her head.

"Don't worry about it sweetheart, it sounds like they had fun." She said kindly, Mana nodding his head in vigorous agreement. The younger twin tugged on his mother's dress to get her attention, immediately turning puppy dog eyes on her when he succeeded.

"Mum, I'm hungry." He pouted pitifully. She smiled brilliantly, but shook her head lightly.

"Could you ask Hevlaska to get you something, mommy's still not feeling well." She asked sweetly, patting the boy's head. Wait a minute…

"I thought vampires don't get sick…" He muttered confusedly. Katerina just smiled kindly.

"I'm not a vampire dear, I'm a witch. My husband is the vampire. You don't mind do you?" She explained, sounding concerned with his opinion. He quickly waved his hands in front of him, Allen wasn't biased like most people (though that may have something to do with living with Cross).

"Oh, no! It's fine with me, really. Though I would've preferred a little bit of warning…" He reassured quickly, rubbing his neck where Neah had bitten him (little monster was far rougher than his brother). Katerina gasped as she saw the mark, instantly insisting that she take care of it.

"No, it's fine, really!" Allen tried, but Katerina gave him this stern motherly look that Allen couldn't really resist. He was a sucker when it came to mothers. And children. She muttered something under her breath, and Allen felt a gentle warmth seeping into his neck. She made a pleased noise and quickly checked the other side of his neck, huffing slightly and giving the twins a strict look.

"What have I told you about this?" She chastised. Both boys looked away, Mana bowing his head in shame.

"It's really not that bad…" Allen murmured, feeling guilty for getting the kids in trouble. Katerina shook her head sternly.

"They can't get used doing whatever they want, _especially_ when it comes to things like this. Attacking people is _not okay_." She said sternly, narrowed eyes with hands on hips. Mana looked just about ready to cry, even Neah looked guilty now. Allen smiled lightly, glad that the boys were in such good hands.

"They do this all the time, scare off all their babysitters… We can't get anyone to look after them anymore…" She huffed in exasperation. Mana was blushing brightly, obviously ashamed of his actions while Neah just puffed out his cheeks and crossed his arms (though he still looked mildly guilty). Allen smiled lightly, but decided it was time he let them get settled in for the night.

"Well… I'd better be going, can't let Cross run free for too long." He joked lightly, earning a hearty giggle from the woman in front of him. She wiped a stray tear from her eye and bid him goodnight, a warm smile on her face. He was almost out the door when he heard his name.

"Allen!" Mana called to get his attention, prompting the teen to turn around.

"Will you come Trick or Treating with us again next year?" He asked excitedly. Allen smiled softly, reluctant to straight up tell the child "no", but unwilling to fully commit himself with a "yes".

"We'll see…" He compromised gently. Mana beamed at him, fangs showing very prominently in the bright moonlight. Allen's eye twitched.

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 **AN:** This got a mind of its own around the middle, it was just going to be a cute fluffy trick or treating trip then my brain's like "they're vampires." And I'm like but wh- oh whatever… So yeah, hope you enjoyed!

 **Omake:** _A Little Warning Please_

When Allen finally got home, he slammed the door shut and stormed straight up to his guardian. The red-head was currently snoozing on the couch, so Allen kicked his leg to wake him up. The man grunted, opening his lone eye to glare at the teen in annoyance.

"What?!" He said gruffly.

"Next time you ask me to babysit, how about warning me that they're _vampire children_." Allen growled in response.

"Oh, that." Cross replied nonchalantly, a bored expression overtaking his face once again.

"Don't "oh, that" me!" Allen shrieked, throwing the nearest object (which happened to be a lamp) at the man's head. Cross just barely caught the offending object before it hit him. He scowled up at the teen, but Allen was already storming into his bedroom. He closed the door rather a bit harder than necessary and leaned back against it, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"I am going to wake up tomorrow and pretend this was all a really weird dream." Allen stated to himself before heading straight to bed.


End file.
